Electrical wires come in many different forms. Typically it is the intended use of the wire that determines the design of an electrical wire. Some electrical wires are designed for power distribution others are designed for transmission of telecommunications signals and other signals or for other purposes.
Electrical wires are manufactured from a number of different materials such as Copper, Aluminum, Steel, and Nickel. Electrical wires are usually covered with insulating materials, such as plastic, rubber-like polymers, or varnish. Further wires can form cables. Typically, two or more wires can be joined to form a cable. Also, two or more wires may be wrapped concentrically, separated by insulation, to form a coaxial cable.
Regardless of the type of wire or cable it is typically desired that the electromagnetic field generated by the wire or cable is low when current runs in the wire/cable. For this purpose, the wire or cable can be shielded from the surroundings by one or many layers of electromagnetic shielding components. The cable can then, for example, be encased for its entire length in foil or wire mesh. All wires running inside this shielding layer will be to a large extent decoupled from external electric fields, particularly if the shield is connected to a point of constant voltage, such as earth.
For example U.S. Pat No. 3,683,103 describes an electrical wire designed to be of low weight. The electrical wire comprises coated strands of Aluminum and Copper. The coating on the strands, which is identical for all strands can be for example Silver or Nickel to prevent corrosion.
There is a constant desire to improve the performance of transmission of electrical power an electrical signals. In particular it is desired to reduce the electromagnetic field from a wire or a cable. Hence, there exists a need for an improved electrical wire and electrical cable.